Snowshoeing as a recreational activity has become quite popular in recent years. In the snowshoe industry, injection molded snowshoes have become more common since they can be produced more economically. The advances in injection molding techniques have also allowed manufacturers to develop complex deck patterns and support structures for the deck which may achieve many objectives. One overall objective achieved by the use of injection molding is that materials, such as polycarbonate, can be used which are lightweight, durable, and inexpensive. Particularly for use by children, injection molded snowshoes are quite acceptable as their light weight makes it possible for children to enjoy snowshoeing.
One example of a molded plastic snowshoe is U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,333 to Sprandel. This reference discloses not only a molded plastic snowshoe, but also a one-piece molded plastic harness. Another example of an injection molded snowshoe of one-piece construction is U.S. Pat. No. 3,673,713 to Fedowitz. This reference discloses a snowshoe which maximizes lift with a small surface area by the use of valve flaps anchored downwardly which help to support a load, but also allow trapped snow to fall through the valve flaps once the foot is lifted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,450 to McGrath is yet another example of an injection molded snowshoe of one-piece construction. This snowshoe provides decking braces of L-shaped construction and openings to further reduce the weight of the snowshoe. While these references may be adequate for their intended purposes, each of them have shortcomings with respect to at least one of the advantages outlined below.
One overall objective of the invention is to provide a structurally simple, durable, and low maintenance snowshoe. It is also an overall objective to provide a snowshoe which is of a minimum size and weight which makes it available for use by children as well as adults.
It is one specific object of this invention to provide a snowshoe with an integrally molded and supported hinge pin which may withstand loading conditions not only induced longitudinally along the snowshoe, but also transversely when a wearer traverses uneven terrain. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a foot plate which forms part of the binding and which is rotatable about the hinge pin to not only allow a wearer's foot to rotate or perambulate in the characteristic snowshoe movement, but also to provide continuous support through the entire rotation. This continuous support helps to stabilize the wearer's foot gear with respect to the snowshoe. It is yet another object to provide a removable crampon attached to the foot plate which extends across the hinge pin to secure it in place and which may be adjustable to allow the wearer to choose the aggressiveness of the step. It is yet another object to provide the lower surface of the snowshoe with a tractor like lug pattern which assists not only in gripping the surface of the ground, but also in stripping away the snow and ice.
While the above advantages are specifically listed, other advantages will become apparent through analysis of the following description and drawings.